


Reading Stories

by Stayawhile



Category: The Hobbit
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-03-17 09:51:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3524765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stayawhile/pseuds/Stayawhile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a tiny glimpse into a possible future, to celebrate a joyous event that hasn't happened yet.</p><p>(Edited to add a few details that weren't known when the story was originally posted.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reading Stories

One day, not too far off, a little boy living in London will turn five, and after the birthday party and the cake and the chaos, his father will say, “I have a very special present for you.”

When the boy opens the package, the special present turns out to be a book.

“The Hobbit? I thought that was a movie.”

“It is,” says Daddy, “but first it was a book. When I was a little boy my dad read this book to me, and I want to read it to you.”

The boy smiles, because Daddy is really good at reading stories, and he does different voices for all the characters. They sit down on the couch, he climbs into his father’s lap, and it begins.

“In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit…” It takes them a month to read it, because Daddy has to work sometimes, and Mummy won’t, she says it’s Dad’s book. When they finish, the boy wants to hear it all over again, and this time they have long conversations about the characters and how brave they are, or how funny, or scary, and why they do the things they do.

He knows there is a movie called The Hobbit, but Daddy won't let him watch it yet. “It’s very long, and there are a lot of stories in it that aren’t in the book. We’ll watch it together when you’re a bit bigger.” Eventually Christopher learns to read, well enough to read even longer books, but The Hobbit stays on the shelf. It’s Daddy’s book, and so every so often the boy says “Here, Daddy, read me the chapter with the trolls,” or “can we read Rivendell tonight?” Daddy never ever says no.

Some time later, Mummy has to go off somewhere to work on a play, and Daddy says “Let’s watch movies all day!” Movie days are always fun, so they get some snacks and treats and things to drink and settle on the sofa, and they watch The Hobbit together. Some of the faces seem familiar, especially Bilbo’s, but it’s all very complicated and beautiful and sometimes scary, as if Bilbo Baggins is in a much bigger story that didn’t fit into the book.

As they’re cleaning up the empty dishes and cups from all their treats, the father asks, “What did you like best?”

Christopher thinks a bit. It’s hard to choose. The eagles were wonderful, and the dragon was exciting and scary, and Gandalf, but…

“They got _all_ the voices right, so everybody sounds just like they do when you read them. Especially the dragon!.”

Daddy laughs, and says, “Yes, they did, didn’t they?” And he knows it should be bedtime, but instead they curl up on the sofa and talk about Bilbo and the dwarves and trolls and goblins until they both fall asleep.


End file.
